Red Cross a passion for Belmont's Elaine Lyerly

By Bill Poteat bpoteat@gastongazette.com

Saturday

Sep 8, 2018 at 4:14 PMSep 8, 2018 at 4:14 PM

Elaine Lyerly, president and CEO of one of the most respected brand marketing and public relations agencies in the Southeast, is passionate about many things -- her work, her community, her family, and equality for women in all areas of life.

But if there is one aspect of her life which holds a special place in her heart, it is her volunteer service with the American Red Cross -- service that has now lasted more than four decades, seen her hold a myriad of leadership positions, and taken her to areas of need around the world.

"I feel that I have two families," said Lyerly over coffee in the conference room of the Lyerly Agency in downtown Belmont. "The family that I was born into, and my Red Cross family."

Lyerly was first asked to help with a Red Cross committee while working for an ad agency in Charlotte. "I thought I would finish that assignment and that would be the end of it," she recalled. "But that didn't happen. I stayed involved."

And the reason for that involvement?

"I felt an instant connection with the Red Cross, with its goals, its mission, its people," Lyerly answered. "The Red Cross helps people in their darkest hour, people who have lost everything."

Her eyes suddenly full and her voice quavering with emotion, Lyerly continued, "I have held the hand of people in that situation. I have looked into their eyes. I have listened to their stories. The Red Cross is a light in the darkness. A provider of hope."

Providing Hope

As an example of the hope of which she speaks, Lyerly talked about a Red Cross project she visited in a remote village outside of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya in east Africa.

"These are people who live in extreme poverty, people for whom each day is a struggle," she said. "The Red Cross was boring wells to provide them with a safe, dependable source of water, something we would take for granted."

Lyerly spoke also of another project in Africa in which the Red Cross was providing goats for mothers -- goats which could in turn provide healthy and nutritious goat's milk for hungry children three times a day.

And finally, Lyerly talked of being in New Orleans in September of 2005, helping the Red Cross respond to the nightmare that was Hurricane Katrina.

"I was working with a crew giving out cleaning supplies," she recalled. "And to see the emotional response of those people. The crying and the joy, just to receive supplies to start cleaning up their homes. That was remarkable."

Leadership

As the Red Cross realized the depth of Lyerly's commitment to the organization and how outstanding her leadership skills are, she assumed positions of increasing responsibility, first in the Charlotte region, then nationally, and finally, internationally.

In 2001, the Red Cross chose to hold its annual national convention in Charlotte and it fell to Lyerly to organize that effort.

The convention, which attracted more than 3,000 attendees and enlisted the efforts of more than 600 volunteers, was a smashing success, and Lyerly was soon selected for service on the Red Cross National Board of Governors.

It was while serving on the Board of Governors that Lyerly was charged with the task of developing an on-going source of "non-episodic" fundraising for the Red Cross.

"When there is a huge natural disaster, like the hurricanes we had last fall," she explained, "funding pours in to help meet that need. But the Red Cross does so many other things that it needed a sustaining model of income."

Tiffany's Circle

From that need, and from a desire to get more women involved in philanthropy, Tiffany's Circle was born. Named after the huge Tiffany glass windows in the Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., Tiffany's Circle has proven to be the most successful, new, major fundraising program in Red Cross history.

In the past 10 years, it has raised $100 million.

The Red Cross, with its twin goals of reconciliation over war and humanity over conflict, is a natural choice for the involvement of women, Lyerly believes.

"Ours is a cause that makes sense," she said. "A cause that can be empowered by women."

Men, Lyerly explained, tend to give to a cause when asked by a friend to do so, with the idea that the giving will be reciprocal.

Women, on the other hand, tend to be more networked, more attuned to the goals of the organization to which they are contributing, and more likely to extend their support to include volunteer hours.

Tiffany's Circle, Lyerly continued, provides women with the opportunity to take ownership of their support of the Red Cross and to do it with their friends.

Going International

The program has been so successful in America, Lyerly pointed out, that it is now being expanded internationally, and earlier this summer Lyerly attended a Tiffany Circle conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the birthplace of the Red Cross.

"From learning about the role of the Red Cross in war and conflict and international humanitarian law, to empowering women and girls, it was an unforgettable experience," Lyerly said.

One of the highlights of the conference for Lyerly, she said, was meeting Fatima Gailani of Afghanistan, a leader of the Red Crescent, which is the Muslim wing of the Red Cross.

"She is such as extraordinary woman," Lyerly said. "She has done so much for her nation, both through Red Crescent and other activities. She is one of the truly great female leaders in the world today."

Looking ahead

Although she has viewed firsthand the difficult living conditions faced by billions of the world's people, as well as a turn away from empathy and kindness on the part of some of America's leaders, Lyerly's faith in humanity and its future remains unwavering.

"So many people are committed to helping others, to doing the right thing, to finding the right path, how can I not be hopeful about the future?" she asked.

And, for as long as she can, Lyerly will be working to improve that future through her service to the Red Cross.

Bill Poteat may be reached at 704-869-1855.

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